“Urban Outfitters landed in some hot water earlier this week when consumers started to question company standards after an ‘I Support Same-Sex Marriage’ T-shirt mysteriously vanished off shelves in California. Yesterday, Urban Outfitters reached out to us to comment on the situation: ‘The T-shirt was pulled because it was not selling,’ a spokesperson for the company told us. ‘This is a common practice because sales space is so valuable, especially in this challenging economic climate.'” [NY Mag]
Urban Outfitters Tee Pulled Not Over Homophobia, But Slacking Sales?
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shaun
I smell BS!
This may have been a bit more believable had they not already lied to the designer about why the shirts were pulled originally.
seitan-on-a-stick
This company is in a lot of hot water and I doubt if they will survice the patent breach lawsuits with the pine fresh scented company which they blatantly stole the design, saying they would not continue, then kept on going in their Fat Cat ignorance and are being justifiably sued. Personally, I’ve found these stores to be completely messy, dirty, with belligerent staff, angry skater music and a size ‘O’ haven for the T-set and ready for the corporate axe to come down on their over-priced heads. These Tshirts will reappear in TJMaxx in Chelsea, no doubt. Good riddance to Urban Out-shitters. TopMen will love their spaces when they go bankrupt.
Anarchos
If you do any research on the company, you will find out that Richard Hayne, company founder and president, is extremely conservative (he donated to Rick Santorum’s campaign, to give one example). Which is why it’s kind of hilarious that so many young, likely liberal, people shop at UO. While they purchase the artifice to be hip, they’re supporting a disgusting conservative.
michael
Urban outfitters has no problem marking things down to the bone if merchandise is not selling. Why would this item be “pullled” instead of marked down? Its B.S. and very disappointing because I thought they were more progressive than this. The store here in Vancouver marked all its Varvatos/Converse merchandise down 70 to 80% for the first mark down. Its crap, absolute crap.
Ben
Yeah weird considering their owner did donate a lot to Prop 8, correct? And Michael is right, they totally mark down stuff like crazy.
LAME
Jack
Um, of course that thing didn’t sell. The design sucks. It’s just large block letters on a background. When you see their other sweet tees, who would want to wear this boring thing?
Kid A
@Jack: Yeah, that might as well be a sandwich board.